Bill Dooley poses with some of his memorabilia at his Wrightsville Beach home in 2006

It’s customary in our society to say nice things about people when they die, especially when they happen to be a high-profile public figures.

In some cases, the tributes end up sounding a little like Bill Dooley trying to compliment an overmatched football opponent. Something along the lines of “Too-lane is the finest winless team in America.”

Dooley always had a way of finding something positive to say about everything and everyone he encountered. And outside of his family, there was nothing he loved more than football.

That’s why the tributes that are now coming his way are so heartfelt and genuine.

The former coach at North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest died Tuesday in Wilmington, the city he adopted as his home after retirement.

He was 82.

Dooley left UNC in 1977 as the winningest coach in school history and the author of an 11-win season that is still tied for the most ever by a Tar Heel team. He was also the winningest coach in Virginia Tech history when he left there in 1986, his tenure helping to lay the foundation upon which Frank Beamer ultimately built a national power.

At his final stop, he recorded three winning seasons in six years at Wake Forest — an amazing accomplishment considering the Deacons’ history.

Bill Dooley was UNC’s all-time winningest coach when he left for Virginia Tech in 1977 (UNC photo)

Although I never got the chance to cover any of his teams on a day-to-day basis, I always enjoyed games involving Coach Dooley’s Tar Heels, Hokies and Deacons as a visiting writer in Maryland. Not only were his players well-prepared and his game plans well-conceived, but his postgame press conferences were the most honest and entertaining around.

But as the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

So instead of running a long string of quotes from famous people saying nice things about one of the nicest men in college sports, it’s more fitting to highlight some of his most significant accomplishments — above and beyond the three ACC championships he won and the 10 postseason bowl bids his teams earned.

In 1995, three years after his Wake Forest players carried him off the field on their shoulders after beating Oregon in the Independence Bowl in his final coaching appearance, Dooley organized the North Carolina chapter of the National Football Foundation. Thanks to his efforts, that chapter, which now bears his name, has become the largest in the country.

He was also the director of sports development for the state of North Carolina and a recruiting director for the old Blue-Gray college all-star game while serving on the board of Pop Warner Football, the Special Olympics and the Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Dooley is carried off the field by his Wake Forest players after the 1992 Independence Bowl

While it’s common for celebrities to lend their names for those good causes, Dooley wasn’t the type to just be some sort of ceremonial handshaker. When he got involved, it was with the ferocity of a lead blocker throwing himself into the line to open up a hole for a star running back.

That was never more true than in 2001, when shortly after moving to the Port City on a permanent basis, he volunteered to coach junior varsity football at Hoggard High.

He did it so that he could work with his son Sean, a freshman wide receiver on that team. But his knowledge and love for helping youngsters learn to play football the right way benefited everyone on the roster.